Thomas v. Kennedy

7 Pa. D. & C.2d 613, 1955 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 43
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lackawanna County
DecidedJune 29, 1955
Docketno. 1
StatusPublished

This text of 7 Pa. D. & C.2d 613 (Thomas v. Kennedy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lackawanna County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thomas v. Kennedy, 7 Pa. D. & C.2d 613, 1955 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 43 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1955).

Opinion

Hoban, P. J.,

Action in equity to compel the trustees of the Anthracite Health and Welfare Fund to pay a pension to plaintiff as a retired anthracite miner. The complaint avers the establish[614]*614ment of the fund, the authority of the trustees, the qualification of plaintiff as a beneficiary of the fund by reason of membership in the United Mine Workers of America, employment in the anthracite industry for more than 20 years, attainment of age 60 and retirement from work thereafter, and the refusal of the trustees to pay plaintiff a pension. The relief asked is a mandatory order compelling defendants to pay plaintiff a pension, to include amounts due from the time of application, interest on delayed payments and costs.

The answer justifies the trustees’ refusal because a resolution of the trustees establishes certification of membership by the United Mine Workers of America as a prerequisite of qualification for benefits from the fund and plaintiff was not a member in good standing of the U. M. W. A. at the time of his application as certified to by the proper union authorities.

From the pleadings and the evidence the issues developed as follows:

Were the trustees justified as a matter of law in relying on certification of membership by the U. M. W. A. as the final test of qualification as to membership in the union of a prospective beneficiary of the fund?

Are the proceedings to establish certification as to union membership according to union law subject to review by a court of equity?

Was plaintiff in fact, regardless of certification, a member in good standing of the U. M. W. A. at the time of filing his application?

Is plaintiff entitled to benefits as a beneficiary of the fund, and if so as of what date?

Findings of Fact

1. The Anthracite Health and Welfare Fund is the result of an agreement of June 7, 1946, between the [615]*615United Mine Workers of America (Districts 1, 7 and 9 — The Anthracite Districts) and the anthracite operators, as supplemented and amended. The money is provided by the anthracite operators, the fund is managed by trustees, and by the terms of the agreement is constituted an irrevocable trust.

2. The section of the trust agreement pertinent to this controversy is as follows:

“4. The Fund shall be used for making payments to mine workers and their dependents and survivors, with respect to (i) wage loss not otherwise compensated for at all, or adequately, under the provisions of Federal or State Law and resulting from sickness (temporary disability), permanent disability, death or retirement, and (ii) other related welfare purposes, as determined by the trustees. Subject to the stated purposes of the Fund, the trustees shall have full authority with respect to questions of coverage and eligibility, priorities among classes of benefits, amounts of benefits, methods of providing or arranging for provisions of benefits and all related matters.”

3. Plaintiff William A. Thomas was a worker in classified employment in and around the anthracite mines “from 1925 to August 31, 1947, and during that period he was a member in good standing in the United Mine Workers of America. As of August 31, 1947, plaintiff was a member of Local 1022, U. M. W. A., composed of employes at the Jermyn Colliery, Hudson Coal Company. Plaintiff’s union dues for August 1947 were paid.

4. On August 31, 1947, plaintiff’s place of employment was shut down, plaintiff and other employes thereof were laid off and the operation of the colliery was discontinued and not resumed.

5. As of August 31, 1947, the constitution of the International Union, U. M. W. A., adopted September 19, 1944, was the governing law of the union and re[616]*616mained so to November 1948, when a new constitution was adopted.

The constitution of 1944 contains these pertinent provisions:

“Article XIV: Local Unions, How Formed and Governed. ...
“Sec. 11. Any member becoming three months in arrears for dues or assessments, unless officially exonerated from the payment of same, shall forfeit his membership and can be reinstated only by paying an initiation fee and such other penalties as may be imposed by the District in which application for membership is made. ...
“Sec. 21. When a mine is abandoned indefinitely and all the members of the Local Union having jurisdiction over it have gone to work elsewhere, the Local Recording Secretary must notify the District Secretary of the fact and the District Secretary must make application to the International Secretary-Treasurer for exoneration for the Local Union for each month the mine is idle. . . .
“Sec. 23. No Local Union shall be exonerated from payment of per capita tax or assessments when the members have worked five days or more during said month; and it is understood that individual members of the Local Union who have not worked five days in any one month may be exonerated from the payment of dues and assessments by the Local Unions of which they are members, provided that such members are idle through no fault of their own. All individual members so exonerated must be reported to the International and District organizations on the report required by Sections 15 and 16 of this Article.”

6. In September 1947, plaintiff went to the secretary of Local 1022, U. M. W. A., asked for information as to his union dues as affected by his unemployment and the secretary informed plaintiff, “You are [617]*617exonerated”, and on further request as to when he should resume payments, the secretary said he would let plaintiff know.

7. On October 27, 1947, plaintiff obtained employment with the Pennsylvania Department of Highways and worked there until December 31,1947, when he was laid off.

8. During the period October 27, 1947, to December 31, 1947, plaintiff again consulted the secretary of Local 1022, informed the secretary that plaintiff was working, and asked the secretary about paying dues. The secretary told plaintiff that he would let plaintiff know when to start paying dues.

9. Plaintiff was reemployed by the Pennsylvania Department of Highways March 15, 1948, and remained in employment therewith to January 20, 1955, with the exception of one month in 1950.

10. Effective November 1, 1948, the constitution of the International Union, U. M. W. A., was changed to provide as follows:

“Retired members and disabled members receiving aid and those receiving State Workmen’s compensation payments, also members temporarily unemployed through no fault of their own, shall pay one dollar per month dues, to be forwarded by the Local Union to the International Secretary-Treasurer and a record of such members filed with the District Secretary-Treasurer” : Sec. 12, art. XIV.

11. Early in November 1948, the secretary of Local 1022 informed plaintiff that plaintiff was to pay dues at the rate of $1 per month.

12. Plaintiff paid dues to the secretary, Local 1022, at the rate of $1 per month each month from November 1948 to and including June 1949.

13. In July 1949, plaintiff was informed by the secretary, Local 1022, that from then on plaintiff was to pay dues at the rate of $4 per month.

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Related

Forrish v. Kennedy
105 A.2d 67 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1954)
O'Neill v. United Ass'n of Journeymen Plumbers
36 A.2d 325 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1944)
Brown's Appeal
29 A.2d 52 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1942)

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Bluebook (online)
7 Pa. D. & C.2d 613, 1955 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 43, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thomas-v-kennedy-pactcompllackaw-1955.